From the Depths
Part Six : The Legend Lives On
By Wulipix and Dreamcatcher

“Didn’t we past here before?” Marni asked confusingly, looking around. “How can you even tell, Marni? There’s nothing but sand out here,” Yuuchi pointed out. The Digi-Destined have left the Digi-Carnival over an hour ago and were continuing their trek through the desert. The twelve kids and their Digimon were crossing the top of a massive sand dune. “We better find some shelter soon,” Tai remarked as he looked toward the sun, which was very low in the horizon. “What’s wrong with staying out here?” Yuuchi asked. “At least we won’t get cold at night.”

“That’s actually incorrect, Yuuchi,” Izzy pointed out. “Although temperatures are relatively high during the day, at night, however, a desert’s temperature can drastically drop down to freezing.” “Thanks for the lesson, Mr. Science,” Marni muttered under her breath. T.K. suddenly stopped walking, along with Patamon. “Hey, everyone! Lookit!” T.K. exclaimed. The others turned around and gasped when they saw what T.K. was pointing at. It was a small, old-fashion settlement in the distance. Several old wooden buildings decorated the sides of a dirt road running through the center of the town.

“Whoa! That’s straight out of a Western!” Zack exclaimed. “What’s a Western, Zack?” Cheetamon asked. “It’s a type of movie with Indians, cowboys, deserts, saloons...” Zack trailed off. “This is perfect,” Tai remarked. “We can spend the night there.” “But, how are we going to get down there?” Sora asked. Tai looked over the edge and realized that it was a pretty steep drop from the top of the sand dune to the town below. “That’s a long way down,” Chamelamon remarked as she looked down at the settlement. Suddenly, she slipped on the sand and slid down the hill of sand toward the town.

“Chamelamon!” Marisa shouted. To everyone’s surprise, Marisa slid down the sand dune after her Digimon. “Marisa!” Marni shouted. By the time the pigtailed girl reached the bottom of the sand dune, Chamelamon was already back on her feet. “Are you okay?” Marisa asked with concern as she got up and approached her Digimon. Before she replied, Chamelamon spat on the ground a few times. “Other than the sand that got in my mouth, I’m fine,” the lizard Digimon remarked. Marisa giggled a bit.

“Hey, Marisa!” they heard Matt yell. The two looked back up at the top of the sand dune, where everyone else was. “You okay, sis?” Marni shouted. “Yeah, we’re fine!” Marisa shouted back. Marni slowly looked up and down at the trail Marisa formed when she slid down the sand dune. A small smirk formed on her face as she sat down and swung her legs over the edge of the sand dune. “Marni, what are you doing?” Yuuchi asked. “What does it look like I’m doing?” Marni retorted. “It looks kind of dangerous,” Joe muttered out loud. “And I guess fighting evil Digimon isn’t?” she asked sarcastically. Joe didn’t say anything after that.

“And you all have to admit, this is a quicker way down. Come here, Snakemon,” Marni called to her Digimon. Snakemon slithered over to Marni and crawled into her lap. “Are you sure about this, Marni?” Izzy asked. “Perhaps you should wait until we find an alternate route.” “Whatever. See you all on the bottom,” Marni retorted as she pushed off the edge of the sand dune and slid down, with Snakemon in her lap. “She does have a point,” Tai admitted. “Let’s go for it!” Tai and Agumon prepared to slide down the sand dune, along with Sora, Biyomon, Matt, Gabumon, and the other kids...

“Stupid sand,” Yuuchi muttered as he dusted himself off. “Well, at least we got down that hill. Now, let’s go check this place out,” Tai suggested. “Yes, oh fearless leader,” Yuuchi mocked under his breath. As the twelve kids and their Digimon entered the town, a tumbleweed flew across the street. “What a neat place,” T.K. exclaimed, looking around at the old settlement buildings. Suddenly, Gabumon stopped in his tracks. “What’s the matter, Gabumon?” Matt asked. “Did you hear that?” Gabumon asked, looking up at Matt. “Hear what?” Matt asked.

The twelve kids and their Digimon quickly stopped walking and quieted down. They could clearly hear old western-style piano music from one of the buildings. “I think it’s coming from there,” Gatomon muttered out loud, pointing at a Western-style saloon with wooden swinging doors. “Maybe it’s someone who can help us,” Zack suggested. “Or maybe it’s an evil Digimon,” Joe added nervously. “We won’t know unless we find out,” Marni retorted. “She does have a good point, guys,” Tai admitted. He and Marni stepped onto the rickety wooden porch and cautiously approached the swinging doors.

Before they reached the doors, however, the piano music suddenly stopped. “We can’t stop now,” Tai told Marni, who nodded in agreement. Together, they peeked over the top of the doors. Inside, there was an old bar setup with barstools and tables with chairs. “Doesn’t look like anyone’s in here,” Marni whispered. Just then, the piano music started again then stopped, startling both Tai and Marni. “Okay, maybe there is someone in there!” Marni admitted a bit nervously as they backed away from the doors a bit. “Well, we’re not gonna find out who it is by standing here!” Tai shouted as he ran straight for the swinging doors. “Hey, Tai! Wait for me!” Agumon shouted as he ran after him.

When Agumon entered the saloon, Tai was just getting up from the dust-covered floor. “Are you all right, Tai?” Agumon asked as his human friend stood up. “I’m fine, Agumon,” Tai muttered as he wiped the dust off of his clothes. The two looked around the saloon, but couldn’t find anyone. “Looks like our mystery piano player made a quick exit, huh?” Marni asked. Tai and Agumon turned around and saw the other kids and their Digimon inside the saloon. Tai and Agumon both nodded their heads. Suddenly, the mysterious piano music started again. T.K. turned around and exclaimed, “Hey, lookit!” The other kids turned around and let out sighs of relief.

“It’s just one of those old player pianos,” Zack muttered out loud. Out of curiosity, Cheetamon hopped onto the bench in front of the antique piano. “How is it doing that?” he asked as he watched the keys go up and down by themselves. “A ghost is playing it,” Yuuchi joked mischievously. “A g-ghost?” Nanmimon asked fearfully. “The piano is programmed to play by itself,” Marisa told the pony-like Digimon. “There’s no ghost. Yuuchi’s just pulling your leg.” “No, he’s not. If he was, I would have felt it,” Nanmimon remarked as he checked his legs. “That’s just a figure of speech, Nanmimon. It means I’m joking around,” Yuuchi admitted, laughing a bit.

“So, what now?” Sora asked, who was sitting at one of the tables with Mimi, Biyomon, and Palmon. “It would be plausible to find a good place to spend the night,” Izzy proposed. “What’s wrong with staying right here?” Tai asked. “But, I don’t want to sleep on the floor,” Mimi complained. “Who knows the last time someone swept in here!” “You know, before we came in here, I think I saw an old motel across the street,” Marisa muttered thoughtfully. “Odds are there’s no more beds, but there could be some old mattresses or blankets in there.” “That could be worth checking out, Tai,” Matt added. “If that means I don’t have to sleep on the floor, I’m there,” Mimi exclaimed as she stood up.

“I guess we could check it out,” Tai admitted. “Let’s go!” The kids and their Digimon left the saloon, crossed the street, and entered the old motel. The huge wooden door creaked loudly as Tai and Matt pushed it open. The group cautiously entered the dark, musty lobby. “Umm...maybe we should turn back,” Joe suggested nervously. “Come on, Joe. We just got here,” Gomamon told him. “Let’s go upstairs and explore,” Tai suggested as he and Agumon headed for the massive staircase in the center of the lobby. The stairs creaked a little bit as they started to go upstairs. “Wait for us, Tai!” Sora shouted as she and the others followed Tai and Agumon to the second floor.

“Looks like we’re in luck,” Tai announced, looking inside one of the motel rooms. Sora looked inside as well and noticed that there was a sturdy old bed in the room, mattress and all. She approached the next door and opened it. “There’s a bed in this room, too,” Sora added. “I think all these rooms still have beds,” she heard Yuuchi remark. Sora turned around and noticed that the other doors were opened, revealing more beds.

“Wow! We totally lucked out here!” Marni exclaimed as she and Marisa rejoined the others in the hallway. “So, it’s official, everyone. We’re spending the night here,” Tai announced. “I call this room!” Marni shouted, running into one of the rooms and closing the door behind her. “Umm…Marni?” Snakemon asked, knocking on the door. The door reopened and Marni stuck her head out. “Oops! Sorry, Snakemon,” she apologized sheepishly as she let Snakemon in her room and closed the door again. “Well...good night, everyone,” Marisa announced as she headed into another room, followed by Chamelamon. Everyone exchanged “good nights” as they headed into separate motel rooms...

“Huh?” Marni muttered as she slowly opened her eyes. It was late at night and Marni was just woken up by a strange noise coming from the hallway. She sat up in her bed, with Snakemon still asleep at the foot of the bed, and focused on the door, which was still open by a crack. Suddenly, something white sped past the door. “Snakemon, wake up!” Marni whispered as she nudged her Digimon. “What isss it, Marni?” Snakemon muttered groggily as he stretched out his arms and yawned.

“I saw something go past the door, and it definitely wasn’t any of the other kids or their Digimon,” Marni explained as she got up from the bed. After grabbing her digivice from the bedstand, Marni carefully approached the door with Snakemon at her side. She slowly opened the door and entered the hallway. Marni looked up and down the hall, but there was no one in sight. “Are you sure that what you sssaw wasss really there, Marni?” Snakemon asked. “Maybe you were jussst dreaming.”

Marni was about to say something when she and Snakemon both heard unfamiliar voices coming from the lobby. The two tiptoed to the staircase and peeked around the corner. Marni could see about a dozen ghosts in the lobby talking amongst themselves. One of them was a bit bigger than the others and was wearing a cowboy hat. “What kind of Digimon are they?” Marni asked. “Thossse are Bakemon,” Snakemon whispered. “They’re a ghossst-type Digimon. By themssselvesss, Bakemon are very weak, but asss a group, they can be very powerful.”

Marni leaned in closer against the banister so she could hear what the Bakemon were saying. “Are you guys almost done collecting all of the digivices?” their leader asked. “Almost, boss. We just have to find that girl with the Snakemon,” a Bakemon admitted. “Put the other digivices in here,” the leader ordered, holding out an empty burlap bag. One by one, the Bakemon came up to the leader and tossed a digivice in the bag. “This has gotta be Armaggedamon’s greatest plan yet! The Digimon cannot digivolve without the digivices. They’ll stand no chance against us in the morning,” another Bakemon chuckled as he tossed the last digivice in the bag.

“Now don’t forget! We have to get all TWELVE of the digivices, or else Armaggedamon will be very angry with us,” their leader reminded the Bakemon as he closed the bag. “Now, split up and find that girl with the Snakemon,” he ordered the other Bakemon. Suddenly, the banister that Marni was leaning on began to move and broke, sending her and Snakemon falling into the middle of the group of Bakemon. “Umm...Hi! How are you all doing tonight? I’m just gonna go back to bed now, okay?” Marni chuckled nervously as she and Snakemon slowly walked backwards toward the stairs. “Hold it right there, girl. Get her!” the Bakemon’s leader shouted.

“Uhh...Snakemon? Now would be a good time to digivolve!” Marni told him with slight panic in her voice as the Bakemon surrounded them. “Right. Sssnakemon digivolve to...” Snakemon shouted. To his surprise, nothing happened. “I don’t get it. What went wrong?” Snakemon asked himself. He turned to his side and gasped. Two Bakemon were restraining Marni. “Marni!” Snakemon shouted. Before he could get to her, another Bakemon grabbed him by the tail, causing Snakemon to hit the floor. The Bakemon’s leader approached Marni and removed the digivice from her jeans.

“No! My digivice!” Marni cried out. The leader chuckled sinisterly as he put her digivice in the bag with the others. “Tie her up,” he instructed the Bakemon, “and throw the Snakemon in the closet with the others.” The three Bakemon nodded in approval. “You eight, come with me,” he ordered the remaining Bakemon. “You’ll be guarding the other children and their Digimon,” he whispered to them barely loud enough for Marni to overhear. “I’ll be back shortly,” the leader told the three other Bakemon as he floated out of the motel door, followed by the eight Bakemon.

“You heard him!” one of the Bakemon restraining Marni yelled at the Bakemon holding Snakemon. “Take him upstairs and throw him in the closet!” “Right,” the Bakemon replied as he floated up to the broken space in the banister. Snakemon watched helplessly as one of the Bakemon restraining Marni pulled out a rope from behind his back and started to tie her up...

“Here we are!” one of the Bakemon announced. The two Bakemon had arrived at a pair of doors. They were carrying Marni, who was tied up pretty well. Her feet were tied together and her wrists were tied behind her back. The other Bakemon pushed the doors open with his free hand. “Ready?” he asked the first Bakemon. They swung Marni in between them and tossed her in the huge, dark bedroom. “Enjoy your stay!” the first Bakemon retorted sarcastically as he and the other Bakemon closed the doors.

Marni grumbled as she struggled into a sitting position on her knees. “Marni? Is that you?” she heard a familiar voice ask from the shadows. Through the dim light from the window, Marni could make out three figures sitting next to the window. “Hey, Tai,” Marni muttered as she crawled toward the window. “Is that…Sora and Mimi with you?” she asked, squinting her eyes. “We’re here, too,” Sora replied. Marni stopped crawling and got back up in a sitting position. “Mind filling me in on what happened?” she asked.

“Well, we were all sleeping when those Bakemon burst into our rooms,” Tai started. “They took our digivices and tied us up,” Sora continued. “And they locked up all our Digimon!” Mimi finished. “I kinda figured that happened,” Marni muttered out loud. “What did they do with everyone else? From what I overheard, they’re not in the motel with us anymore.” “Well, I saw some of those Bakemon take Matt, T.K., Kari, and Marisa in that saloon,” Sora replied, looking out the window at the saloon across the street.

“What about Izzy, Joe, Zack, and Yuuchi?” Marni asked. “The Bakemon took them into that small building down there,” Sora replied, indicating a small wooden building further down the street. “That looks like an old bank,” Marni remarked. “What about our Digimon?” “They’re somewhere in the motel, but we don’t know where,” Tai admitted. “I remember the Bakemon’s leader saying something about locking them up in a closet,” Marni told them.

“That’s not helpful. There’s probably hundreds of closets in this place,” Tai muttered out loud. “Well, don’t blame me, Tai,” Marni retorted. “No one’s blaming you, Marni,” Sora told her. “We have to find a way outta here.” “Yeah. I don’t like being tied up like this,” Mimi replied. Tai noticed that Marni was grunting and squirming around a bit. “What are you doing, Marni?” he asked. “Hold on a minute,” Marni muttered between clenched teeth as she kept squirming around.

To the three kids’ surprise, Marni had managed to slip her tied hands out from underneath her legs. “How did you do that?” Sora asked. “I’m...double-jointed,” Marni quickly explained as she moved her wrists around. Once again, to the kids’ surprise, the rope tied around Marni’s wrists loosened enough for her to slip her hands out. As she untied the rope around her ankles, Tai asked suspiciously, “And how did you pull that off?” “Well, I guess the Bakemon got careless when they tied me up, okay?” Marni retorted. When she finished untying the rope, Marni stood up, approached Mimi, and started to work on her wrists...

Meanwhile, inside a different motel room, a large maple wardrobe was shaking a bit violently. “Pleassse ssstop moving around ssso much!” Snakemon shouted from inside the wardrobe. The shaking stopped soon after. “Sorry about that, Snakemon,” Agumon apologized. “There’s not a lot of room in here.” “I hope Mimi’s all right,” Palmon muttered out loud. “Poor Sora! I hope she’s okay,” Biyomon added. “We’re not helping them out by ssstaying in thisss clossset,” Snakemon retorted.

“Well, how are we going to get out, Snakemon?” Agumon asked. “The door’s locked.” “How about usssing your Pepper Breath to burn a hole through the door, Agumon?” Snakemon suggested. “No, wait!” Biyomon interrupted. “It’s too dark in here! What if you miss the door?” “Let’sss try ramming the door,” Snakemon suggested. The four Digimon rammed the door together, but only got bumps on their heads. “Oww!” Palmon cried, holding her head. Suddenly, Agumon, Biyomon, and Palmon heard a strange noise inside the wardrobe, like nails scratching against metal.

“What’s that noise?” Agumon asked. “It’sss jussst me, Agumon,” Snakemon replied. “What are you doing?” Biyomon asked curiously. “I’m trying to pick the lock with my clawsss,” Snakemon explained as he continued moving his claw inside the keyhole. “Are you sure that’s gonna work?” Agumon asked. “Do you have any better ideasss?” Snakemon asked a bit rudely. The other Digimon kept quiet as Snakemon continued to pick the lock...

“Almost got it,” Marni muttered. She had already finished untying Mimi and Sora, and was working on Tai’s ropes. Marni finally untied the last knot of the rope that held his wrists together. “There,” Marni announced. Tai started to untie the rope on his ankles. “About time, Marni. What took you so long?” he asked rudely. “Well, I was thinking about leaving you here, but I figured we’re gonna need your help,” Marni admitted sarcastically. By that time, Tai had finished untying his feet. “What are you saying?” he shouted angrily as he stood up.

“Knock it off, you two,” Sora interrupted. “Do you want the Bakemon to hear us? We need to find our Digimon.” Tai and Marni nodded in approval. Marni carefully approached the double-doors and slowly opened them a crack. After seeing no one, she opened the doors wide enough to stick her head out into the hall. Marni looked both ways, but there were no Bakemon in sight. “Coast is clear,” Marni whispered. “Okay, let’s go,” Tai whispered as the four kids crept into the hallway. “We’ll split up,” Tai suggested. “If any of you find the Digimon, let us know, okay?” The three girls nodded in approval. The foursome split up and started to look inside the other rooms...

“Are you done yet?” Agumon asked. Snakemon was still at work picking the lock of the wardrobe. “Almossst got it,” Snakemon muttered. Suddenly, a click was heard from the lock. “Help me push,” Snakemon requested. Agumon, Biyomon, and Palmon all placed their hands on the door and pushed, along with Snakemon. Suddenly, the double-doors flew open, spilling out the four Digimon on the floor in a small pile.

“Way to go, Snakemon!” Palmon exclaimed from the top of the pile. She was on top of Biyomon, who was on top of Agumon, who was on top of Snakemon. “Yeah, Snakemon. You da Mon!” Agumon admitted. “Thanksss, everyone. Now, could you pleassse get off me!” Snakemon shouted. “Sorry,” Palmon, Biyomon, and Agumon apologized simultaneously as they quickly got off of the snake-like Digimon. “Thanksss,” Snakemon muttered.

“Snakemon!” The Digimon turned around and saw Marni peering through the door. She stuck her head back into the hallway and whispered a bit loudly, “They’re in here, guys.” Marni slowly opened the door and entered the room. “What happened to you?” she asked Snakemon, who was getting back up. “I unexxxpectedly got sssmothered,” Snakemon muttered, looking at the other Digimon accusingly, who chuckled nervously. “Agumon!” “Biyomon!” “Palmon!”

The three Digimon turned around and saw Tai, Sora, and Mimi standing in the doorway. “Are you guys okay?” Sora asked. “Oh, yeah. We’re fine now,” Biyomon admitted. “How did you get out of there?” Tai asked, looking at the open wardrobe. “Snakemon got the door open,” Agumon admitted. “Good job, Snakemon,” Marni congratulated her Digimon. Snakemon smiled a little bit out of pride. “It wasss no big deal,” he confessed...

“I’ll raise you two cookies,” a Bakemon announced, tossing a couple of chocolate chip cookies on the pile of candy and junk food on the table. The other Bakemon glanced at his playing cards for a moment. “I’ll see your two cookies, and raise you three lollipops,” he announced, pushing his wager toward the pile. Unknown to the Bakemon, they were being watched. “This should be easy,” Tai whispered back to Sora, Marni, Mimi, and the Digimon.

Just then, the third Bakemon drifted inside from his post near the motel entrance. “Better put that away! Boss Bakemon is coming!” he warned the two gambling Bakemon. They quickly pushed the table with the candy and cards away, and returned just as their leader entered the motel. He was still carrying the bag of digivices. “H-hey, boss! H-how ya doing?” one of the Bakemon stuttered nervously. “What are you three floating around here for?” the Bakemon’s leader asked angrily. “Spread out and guard the place!” After muttering apologies, two of the Bakemon headed upstairs, and the third Bakemon headed for the hallway. Their leader pulled up a chair, sat down and let out a huge sigh. He dropped the bag of digivices next to his chair and closed his eyes.

“We need to distract that Bakemon. That way, we can get our digivices back,” Tai whispered. “I’ll do it,” Marni volunteered. “And I’ll go with you,” Snakemon added. “No, you can’t come with me, Snakemon. If that Bakemon sees you, he’ll know that the other Digimon escaped,” Marni explained. “Okay, good luck” Tai whispered. Marni nodded as she carefully got up from their hiding place, a large sofa covered with a sheet. Tai, Sora, and Mimi peeked over the top of the sofa and watched as Marni quietly snuck up on the Bakemon, who was obviously taking a nap.

“What is she gonna do?” Sora whispered. “I have no idea,” Tai whispered back. “I think I do, and it’sss not a good one,” Snakemon muttered to himself. “HEY!” Marni yelled loudly, waking up the Bakemon. The Bakemon’s leader was startled and fell out of his chair. “How did you get out?” he asked angrily, hovering over Marni. “You really want to know?” Marni asked. She paused for a moment. “You’re gonna have to catch me first!” she yelled as she dashed out of the motel into the street. The Bakemon quickly looked around, but the three other Bakemon were nowhere in sight.

“I’ll have to take care of this myself,” he muttered as he went after Marni. In his haste, the Bakemon’s leader left the bag full of digivices next to the chair. After the Bakemon left the motel, Tai snuck into the lobby and grabbed the bag. “Way to go, Tai,” Sora whispered with a smile as Tai returned to the sofa. He quickly untied the bag and grabbed a digivice from the bag, along with Sora and Mimi. “Let’s get outta here,” Tai whispered as they left their hiding spot and headed for the door.

“Hold it!” the three kids and the four Digimon heard a voice shout from above them. They looked up and gasped. Floating above the entrance were the three Bakemon from earlier. “Where do you think you’re going?” one of the Bakemon asked. “If you wanna leave here...” the second Bakemon remarked. “You’ll have to go through us first,” the third Bakemon finished. “Oh, yeah? Let’s see you try and stop us!” Tai shouted. “Now, guys!”

“Pepper Breath!” Agumon shouted. “Spiral Twister!” Biyomon shouted. “Poissson Sssting!” Snakemon shouted. The three attacks struck the three Bakemon, knocking them all down to the ground. “Poison Ivy!” Palmon shouted. She wrapped her vines around the three Bakemon, picked them up, and spun them around. The three Bakemon screamed as Palmon flung them high in the air. They flew over the broken banister and crashed on the second floor.

“Might I sssuggessst we get out of here, right now?” Snakemon suggested. “Marni’sss out there by herssself, with that Bakemon.” “Snakemon’s right. Marni’s gonna need our help,” Sora muttered out loud. “What’s the big deal, Sora? It’s just a Bakemon,” Tai asked as they headed toward the entrance. “There’s no way one Bakemon can beat four Rookies!” “You obviously don’t know what Bakemon are capable of,” Sora retorted...

“Whoa!” Marni shouted. She barely managed to dive out of the way of Bakemon’s outstretched arm. He ended up knocking over an antique wooden barrel. “Is that your best shot?” Marni asked sarcastically as she got up. The Bakemon leader was breathing heavily and had a frustrated look on his face. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with!” he shouted. Suddenly, like a chain reaction, eight of the remaining Bakemon flew out of the bank and saloon. Tai, Mimi, and Sora gasped as the three Bakemon they ran into earlier flew over their heads and headed toward their boss.

“Marni, get out of the way!” Sora shouted. “What are they doing, Sora?” Mimi asked. “They’re combining to form Lord Bakemon,” Sora explained. “And how do you know that?” Tai asked. “Because I fought Lord Bakemon before, with Joe,” she replied. As she spoke, Sora’s mind went back to that day when File Island broke up and she, Joe, Biyomon, and Gomamon crashed the Bakemon festival. “It was after File Island broke up, thanks to Devimon. Joe and I interrupted this festival for the Bakemon, and they tried to eat us! Good thing Birdramon and Ikkakumon were able to beat Lord Bakemon!”

“Still no big deal!” Tai retorted. “Not really, Tai,” Biyomon replied. “Lord Bakemon was still too powerful for me as Birdramon and Ikkakumon to beat. We had to drain his powers first before we could defeat him.” The kids looked up and gasped. The twelve Bakemon were flying around like a tornado. They molded together to form one giant Bakemon. “That’s him! Lord Bakemon!” Sora exclaimed. “Uhh...guys? What should I do?” Marni shouted nervously as Lord Bakemon headed toward her.

To her surprise, Snakemon jumped in between her and Lord Bakemon. “Poissson Sssting!” he shouted. Unfortunately, Snakemon’s attack barely fazed Lord Bakemon. “No offense, Snakemon, but we don’t stand a chance!” Marni gasped. Tai quickly reached into the bag and pulled out a digivice. “Unless we even the odds. Marni, catch!” he shouted as he threw the digivice as high as he could. The device flew right over Lord Bakemon’s head and landed in Marni’s outstretched hand. “Go for it, Snakemon!” she exclaimed. “Sssnakemon digivolve to...Cobramon!”

Cobramon tackled the oversized Bakemon to the ground, but was pushed away like a rag doll. “Cobramon doesn’t stand a chance against Lord Bakemon by himself!” Biyomon exclaimed. “We gotta help him!” Palmon added. Just then, Tai, Sora, and Mimi’s digivices were activated. “Agumon digivolve to...Greymon!” “Biyomon digivolve to...Birdramon!” “Palmon digivolve to...Togemon!” “Whoa!” Marni gasped, staring at the three new Champion Digimon in astonishment.

“Come on, Marni!” Tai shouted. Marni soon snapped out of it and rejoined Tai, Sora, and Mimi in front of the motel. “Nova Blast!” Greymon shouted, spitting out a massive fireball. “Meteor Wing!” Birdramon shouted as she sent several fireballs flying down toward Lord Bakemon. “Needle Spray!” Togemon shouted, releasing her needles. The three combined attacks nailed Lord Bakemon head-on, but he came out of it unscathed. “We’re gonna need some help,” Sora admitted.

“Marni, I want you to take this and find the others,” Tai explained as he handed Marni the bag containing the remaining digivices. “But, what about you guys?” she asked. “We’ll hold him off until you get back. Just be quick about it,” Tai assured her. “Okay,” Marni agreed hesitantly. “I’ll come with you, Marni,” Cobramon announced. “Now get going, and hurry!” Tai shouted. Marni nodded and ran across the street to the saloon, followed by Cobramon. “Uhh...you better wait out here, Cobramon,” Marni told her Digimon. “You’re just a little too big to come inside.” Cobramon nodded as though he understood.

As Marni burst through the swinging doors, she heard her sister exclaim, “Marni!” She turned her head and saw Marisa, Kari, T.K., and Matt tied up to chairs around one of the tables. As Marni ran behind Marisa’s chair and started to work on her ropes, Matt asked, “How did you get out, Marni?” “Save the questions for later, Matt,” Marni retorted. “We have bigger problems, and I do mean BIGGER problems!” “What are you talking about, Marni?” Marisa asked, looking at her sister.

“Well, umm...remember those Bakemon?” Marni asked. “Yeah. What about them?” Marisa asked. “Well, they kinda, like, merged together or something,” Marni explained as she untied the last knot. As Marisa got up from the chair and headed over to where T.K. was tied up, Marni went to the other side of the table to untie Kari. “So, what exactly are you saying, Marni?” Matt asked. “Like I said before, those Bakemon merged together into this huge Bakemon,” Marni replied as she worked on Kari’s ropes. “Sora called him Lord Bakemon or something. I think she probably fought him before.”

By the time Marni finished explaining everything, she had just untied the last knot on Kari’s rope. As she helped Kari get up, Marni noticed that Marisa had just finished untying T.K. “Any idea where your Digimon are?” Marni asked them as she worked on Matt’s ropes. As a response, T.K. and Kari moaned sadly. “We have no idea,” Marisa admitted. “I think the Bakemon took them further downtown, but there’s so many buildings they could be in,” Matt told Marni. “Well...maybe Izzy, Joe, Zack, and Yuuchi know where they are,” Marni suggested as she finished untying Matt.

“Yeah, maybe, but we don’t even know where they are,” Matt remarked as he stood up. “Well, I do, so follow me,” Marni replied as she headed out the door, followed by Matt, Marisa, T.K., and Kari. The five kids, followed by Cobramon, ran down the dirt road to the other end of town. “They’re in here,” Marni announced, pointing at the old Western-style bank. “Are you sure?” Marisa asked. “Hey, I knew where you guys were, so...” Marni started to explain.

Before she could finish, Marni was interrupted by a familiar voice shouting, “Somebody get us out of here!” “That sounded like Zack,” Kari muttered thoughtfully. The four kids entered the bank and found Zack, Yuuchi, Izzy, and Joe tied up and lying on the floor. “You guys okay?” Marisa asked. “Just fine,” Zack muttered as Marisa started to untie him. “Any idea what happened to your Digimon?” Marni asked Izzy as she was untying him. “Those Bakemon put them all in there,” Izzy told her, indicating an old bank vault with a heavy metal door.

“Is Gabumon in there, too?” Matt asked as he untied Joe. “And Patamon?” T.K. asked. “Gatomon, too?” Kari asked. “Yeah, they’re all in there,” Zack replied as he stood up and rubbed his wrists. After she finished untying Izzy, Marni approached the vault door, grabbed the handle with both hands, and pulled as hard as she could. “I need some help here,” she told the other kids. “Let me take care of it, Marni,” Cobramon announced as he slithered into the bank.

“Be my guest,” Marni insisted as she stepped away from the vault door. Cobramon grabbed the handle with both hands and pulled. The heavy metal door groaned loudly as the Champion Digimon slowly opened it. Inside were all eight Digimon: Gabumon, Patamon, Gatomon, Tentomon, Gomamon, Cheetamon, Nanmimon, and Chamelamon. “Good to see you’re all okay,” Marni remarked as the Digimon left the vault and rejoined their human friends.

“Hey, Marni! Aren’t you forgetting something?” Yuuchi asked sarcastically. Marni turned around and realized that Yuuchi was still tied up. “Oops! Sorry,” she admitted sheepishly. “Don’t worry about it, Marni,” Nanmimon told her. He walked behind Yuuchi and gnawed through the ropes holding his hands together. After Yuuchi untied his feet and joined the other kids and their Digimon, Marni picked up the sack from the floor and opened it. “Okay, everyone! Grab a digivice, cuz you’re gonna need it!” she announced.

“Why do we need to make our Digimon digivolve?” Zack asked curiously as he grabbed a digivice from the bag. “It’s just a bunch of Bakemon.” “Not anymore!” Marni retorted. “They combined together into Lord Bakemon!” “Not him again!” Joe whimpered. “No offense, Joe, but get over it! Look, Tai, Sora, and Mimi are out there. Their Digimon are fighting Lord Bakemon right now, and they need our help,” Marni explained. Everyone nodded in approval as they all left the bank.

“Ready to digivolve?” Matt asked. “Uh-huh!” the Digimon agreed. “Chamelamon digivolve to...Dragomon!” “Tentomon digivolve to...Kabuterimon!” “Gabumon digivolve to...Garurumon!” “Nanmimon digivolve to...Neo Nanmimon!” “Gomamon digivolve to...Ikkakumon!” “Patamon digivolve to...Angemon!” “Cheetamon digivolve to...Panthramon!” “Come on, guys! Hurry!” Marni shouted as she and Cobramon led the way.

As the nine kids and their Champion Digimon ran down the street, they could see the battle still going on in front of the motel. Greymon and Birdramon were down on the ground, with Tai and Sora by their sides, and Togemon was fist fighting Lord Bakemon. She nailed the ghost Digimon in the face with a left hook, knocking him to the ground. He rubbed his sore cheek for a moment, and then he got up and punched Togemon in the stomach. “Togemon!” Mimi cried as her Digimon fell to the ground.

“Hey, Casper!” Marni yelled. Lord Bakemon turned around and gasped when he saw Matt, T.K., Marisa, Kari, Izzy, Zack, Joe, and Yuuchi with her, and all of their Digimon, in their Champion stages, standing behind them. “Hey, look! It’s Marni and the others!” Sora exclaimed. “About time you guys showed up!” Tai retorted. “This town ain’t big enough for all of us, Lord Bakemon,” Marni retorted in a fake Western drawl. “Lightning Paw!” Gatomon shouted. “Harpoon Torpedo!” Ikkakumon shouted. “Howling Blaster!” Garurumon shouted. The three attacks hit Lord Bakemon, but it didn’t faze him.

“Let’s attack him together. Maybe that will destroy him,” Dragomon growled as she flew overhead of the other Digimon. “Good idea. Let’s do it!” Neo Nanmimon agreed. “Inferno Blast!” Dragomon shouted. “Howling Blaster!” Garurumon shouted. “Razor Claw!” Panthramon shouted. “Meteor Wing!” Birdramon shouted. “Psychic Blast!” Neo Nanmimon shouted. “Electro Shocker!” Kabuterimon shouted. “Needle Spray!” Togemon shouted. “Nova Blast!” Greymon shouted. “Harpoon Torpedo!” Ikkakumon shouted. “Cobra Fang!” Cobramon shouted. “Hand of Fate!” Angemon shouted. “Lightning Paw!” Gatomon shouted.

All of the attacks hit their mark, and the kids waited nervously to see what was going to happen to Lord Bakemon. The huge ghost Digimon started to laugh sinisterly. “Is that the best you can do, Digi-Destined?” he asked mockingly. Lord Bakemon continued his sinister laugh until he started to shake. “Wha...What’s going on?” Lord Bakemon asked panicky to no one in particular. He let out a painful cry as he exploded into little pieces, which soon disintegrated. A walkie-talkie fell to the ground, but disintegrated as well.

“We won?” Zack asked unsurely. “Duh!” Marni retorted. “How come Gatomon didn’t digivolve?” Yuuchi asked curiously. “Gatomon is already in her Champion stage,” Kari told him. “Then, does that mean Angewomon is Ultimate?” Yuuchi asked. Kari nodded her head. Just then, all of the Digimon, except for Gatomon, began to glow and they returned to their Rookie stage. “You guys did great!” Tai shouted with a huge grin. “Thanks, Tai!” Agumon exclaimed. “Well, I guess we should get going. I mean, we do have a long way to go, don’t we?” Zack asked. “Zack’s right, guys. We should keep moving,” Izzy suggested.

Tai nodded in approval as they walked down the street to the other end of town. He looked over at Marni, who was walking next to Sora and Marisa. “Are you gonna tell me how you did it, or what?” Tai retorted impatiently. “What’s he talking about, Marni?” Marisa asked. “Remember that rope escape trick that Clu taught me?” “Oh, yeah,” Marisa replied. “I can’t believe you still remember how to do that trick. It was over five years ago.” “Who’s Clu?” Sora asked curiously. “He’s our older brother,” Marisa explained.

“Clu’s like the coolest older brother that exists,” Marni boasted. “He’s always into the latest thing. Like, five years ago, Clu was totally into magic tricks and stuff like that. That’s when he taught me that rope escape trick. I never forget anything Clu taught me.” “It’s a good thing you didn’t forget,” Marisa admitted. “So, what does your brother, Clu, do now?” Yuuchi asked curiously. “Clu’s in his own rock band,” Marni admitted proudly. “He even taught how to play the bass guitar and the drums!”

“That’s pretty cool, Marni,” Yuuchi admitted. Suddenly, he noticed that the other kids have stopped walking. Yuuchi looked up and groaned. Right in front of them was the continuing stretch of desert. “Just great. More desert,” Zack muttered under his breath. “Come on, you guys. We have to keep going,” Tai exclaimed. “We got to stop Armaggedamon.” “Tai’s correct,” Izzy added. “Don’t forget that the Digiworld and our world are connected. If Armaggedamon does succeed in taking over the Digiworld, then our world will be in danger as well.”

The four new kids were quietly thinking over what Izzy told them. “I guess Izzy’s right,” Marni admitted. “We need to save the Digiworld.” “Yeah. We’re the only ones who can do it,” Marisa added. “And with our tags and crests, our Digimon can digivolve to Ultimate, right?” Yuuchi asked. The eight original Digi-Destined nodded in approval. “Well, Zack? Are you with us?” Cheetamon asked his human friend. Zack nodded in approval. “Everyone’s right about this. We can’t turn around now. Like Tai said, we have to keep going.” “Right! Now, let’s go!” Tai admitted as he led the other kids and their Digimon back into the desert...

Unknown to the Digi-Destined, a dark sinister figure considered the battle that just occurred before him on a large television screen. “It seems that I have underestimated the children. Well, it’s not going to happen again! Do you hear me?” a familiar voice shouted. There were several mumbles of agreement. “We need to treat these Digi-Destined more seriously. I will not tolerate defeat anymore!” Armaggedamon shouted angrily as he slammed his fist on the handle of his chair. “Do you understand?” There were more mutters of approval. “I’ll make those kids wish they never heard of Armaggedamon,” he muttered sinisterly...

TO BE CONTINUED